Five people have been arrested after a Greenpeace protest outside the Wellington office of mining lobby group Straterra, which caused police to cordon off The Terrace on Tuesday.
The activists were protesting Straterra's plans to fast-track a seabed mining project for one of its clients, Trans-Tasman Resources, in the South Taranaki Bight.
Three activists, including programme director Niamh O'Flynn, locked themselves inside the building, and two more climbed onto an awning at the front of the building to deploy a large 'No Seabed Mining' banner.
Two activists, Bridie and Kate, climbed on an awning at the front of the building to deploy a large 'No Seabed Mining' banner. Photo: RNZ / Pretoria Gordon
Three police cars, a van and two fire trucks attended. The footpath next to the building was cordoned off for health and safety.
Around 30 people were watching from the street, with some unable to enter their workplaces.
Greenpeace programme director Niamh O'Flynn being taken into police custody. Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker
Fire and Emergency senior station officer Pati Salanoa said they had removed three people from inside a locked building, and they were now in custody.
A further two were arrested by a police officer on an aerial ladder about an hour later.
Bridie at the headquarters of mining lobby group Straterra. Photo: Reece Baker / RNZ
By 4.30pm, six more Greenpeace activists were at the Sky Stadium.
They hung a 'No Seabed Mining' banner off one of the lighting towers. There were three police cars in attendance.
'No Seabed Mining' sign hanging off Sky Stadium lighting tower. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
In a statement, Greenpeace said it was "a demonstration of the resistance promised" in a recent open letter to companies considering using the fast-track process, which aims to speed up infrastructure consenting.
More than 7500 people had co-signed the letter, Greenpeace said.
A Greenpeace banner hanging on an office building on The Terrace. Photo: Reece Baker / RNZ
Campaigner Juressa Lee told RNZ the disruption was justified.
"This is a peaceful protest, and peaceful protest is an important and legitimate part of civil society. I'm very concerned. We're in the midst of a climate crisis."
She said Greenpeace had "tried lots of different avenues", including written and oral submissions, a petition and protest march.
"We are putting companies that wish to use the Fast-track Approvals Bill to get their polluting projects over the line, on notice... This is the kind of action that we're prepared to take in order to protect our environment."
Greenpeace campaigner Juressa Lee. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The group called Straterra a "malignant force in New Zealand politics, operating in the shadows and backrooms to exert a pernicious influence over government policies".
Green Party minerals and resources spokesperson Steve Abel said it was "excellent" to see Greenpeace standing up against seabed mining.
"This government is radically anti-nature, hell-bent on destroying our natural resources for the profit of a few, and the seabed mining is particularly destructive," he said.
Steve Abel Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker
"They're also wanting to increase coal mining and wanting to bring back offshore oil and gas exploration.
"These are all things that take us completely in the wrong direction in terms of where the world needs to be going by protecting nature for the good of all humanity."
Abel added that he was a "big supporter of peaceful civil disobedience".
'When you have a government which is hell-bent on destroying the fundamental necessity of a healthy environment and a healthy planet, then it requires brave citizens to take a stand and to do things such as peaceful civil disobedience. And there's a proud tradition of that across social justice and environmental movements through our history and the world's history."
Forest and Bird campaigner Bianca Ranson thought the demonstration was "really, really powerful", and told RNZ "we need to see so much more of it".
She said she was there in solidarity with the people of South Taranaki.
"Straterra are a lobbyist that is lobbying the government to allow climate-wrecking mining activities in areas that have endangered and at-risk biodiversity and in the middle of a climate crisis to be fast-tracked that put economy over the well-being of nature," Ranson said.
"It's incredibly brave what they've done here today. It's just wonderful to see. We need to see more of it."
Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker
She added that the activists should not have been arrested.
"We need to see handcuffs on the people that are that are limiting the potential for our future, rather than people who are trying to stop climate charged activities taking place in our country."
Trans-Tasman Resources declined to comment. Straterra has not yet responded to RNZ.